Switzerland Bans & Imposes $10,000 Fine For Wearing Burqas

In the Swiss state of Ticino, near the Italian border, lawmakers have passed a controversial law that would ban Muslim females from wearing a burqa in public.

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The italian-speaking state is not alone in this. Back in 2011, a French assembly passed a similar measure that was upheld by Europe’s human rights court.

The full length burqua will be subject to a $10,000 fine if found being worn in public. Lawmakers tried unsuccessfully to also ban the niqab. The Swiss national parliament has no objection to the laws.

Ticino attracts 40,000 tourists from the Middle East a year.

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From the New York Times:

Lawmakers in the Swiss state of Ticino have reportedly passed new legislation that would outlaw the wearing of a burqa in public. Under the law, any woman who appears in public wearing a burqa would be subject to a fine of up to nearly $10,000 for the offense. Ticino is situated in southern Switzerland near the Italian border and Italian is the official language there. It’s unclear when the new law will go into effect, but the state’s Parliament based the idea for it on a similar law that went into effect in France in 2011, and was upheld by Europe’s human rights court last year. In addition to the burqa, a full body garment worn by many devout Muslim women, lawmakers there had also wanted to ban the niqab, a veil that covers just the face, but that proposal wasn’t passed. The national Parliament says the new law doesn’t violate federal law.